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Khamanei blames “all those who are against the Islamic Republic” for protests, death toll hits 21

Yes, this is not like the 2009 Green Movement. This really is an uprising against the Islamic Republic. If the Iranians crush it brutally, we can only hope it will rise again, and again, and again, until this monstrous and inhumane regime is destroyed.

(CNN)Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed Iran’s “enemies” on Tuesday for stirring up unrest in the country, as the death toll from days of anti-government protests climbed to 21.

In his first remarks since the demonstrations erupted last Thursday, Khamenei accused the nation’s enemies of “joining forces” and blamed them for the protests that have turned violent.

“The enemy is waiting for an opportunity, for a flaw, through which they can enter. Look at these events over the last few days. All those who are against the Islamic Republic — those who have money, those who have the politics, those who have the weapons, those who have the intelligence — they have all joined forces in order to create problems for the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Revolution,” he said, without naming any particular country.

Key developments

– Nine people were killed on Monday, including seven protesters, state media reports, taking the toll to 21.
– 450 people have been arrested in the past three days.
– Iranian President Rouhani slammed US President Donald Trump for tweeting his support for protesters.
– Trump called the Iranian government “brutal and corrupt” in a second tweet Tuesday.
– Authorities have restricted the apps Instagram and Telegram but users are accessing them with VPNs.

The protests have become the biggest challenge to the Iranian government’s authority since mass demonstrations in 2009. Around 450 people have been arrested over the past three days, according to state media.

The rallies began Thursday over the country’s stagnant economy and rising living costs, but they developed into a broader outcry against the government and intensified over the weekend. Many of the protesters are young Iranians tired of the lack of economic opportunity in the country.

Of the nine people killed Monday, seven were protesters. Six of them died in the central city of Qahdarijan when demonstrators stormed a police station and attempted to take guns from authorities, state media reported. The seventh protester was killed in nearby Khomaini Shahr.

A policeman died in Najafabad after a protester shot at officers with a hunting rifle, according to state media. Three other officers were wounded. A member of the Basij, a pro-government militia, was also killed, in south Tehran….